Our Mission

The Culinary Institute of America is a private, not-for-profit college dedicated to providing the world’s best professional culinary education.

Excellence, leadership, professionalism, ethics, and respect for diversity are the core values that guide our efforts.

We teach our students the general knowledge and specific skills necessary to live successful lives and to grow into positions of influence and leadership in their chosen profession.

Purpose

The Culinary Institute of America provides instruction in the fundamentals of cook­ing, baking, hospitality management, and culinary R&D to aspiring foodservice and hospitality professionals. Depending on the degree or certificate program students enroll in, they will have the opportunity to:

Gain appreciation for the history, evolution, and international diversity of the culinary arts and sciences.

Learn and practice the professional skills used in food preparation and service.

Explore new cooking and baking methods, as well as diverse cultures and their unique culinary styles.

Gain experience in the proper use and maintenance of professional foodservice equipment.

Become familiar with the layout and work flow of professional kitchens and bakeshops.

Build academic skills and acquire a global perspective in general education courses.

Learn the principles of food identification, food and beverage composition, and nutrition.

Understand financial and economic trends and how they influence the foodservice and hospitality industry.

Acquire management skills to better use human and physical resources in foodservice operations.

Gain skills to successfully operate a business in today’s complex global economy.

Develop a personal sense of professional­ism necessary for working successfully in the foodservice and hospitality industry.

Build skills as a member of a team.

Learn to communicate accurately and effectively.

Use computers to enhance a business’s daily operations and future success.

Broaden career choices and become more marketable to potential employers, especially for management and entrepreneurial positions.

History

Throughout its history, The Culinary Insti­tute of America has played a pivotal role in shaping the future of foodservice and hos­pitality. Widely recognized as the world’s premier culinary college, the CIA has an industry-wide reputation for excellence and accomplished alumni whose leadership, influence, and professionalism are a testa­ment to the quality of a CIA education.

Such success could only happen through the inspired leadership of some very talented and dedicated people. In the mid-1940s, faced with a shortage of back-of-the-house (kitchen) professionals, members of the New Haven Restaurant Association in Connecticut had the idea of creating a school to train World War II veterans in the culinary arts. In 1945, they approached attorney Frances Roth with their idea and asked her to be the school’s administrative director. Mrs. Roth had never worked in a restaurant, but she became determined to establish a school that would become “the culinary center of the nation.” With financial, social, and polit­ical support from Katharine Angell—who was married to Yale University President Emeritus James Rowland Angell and who would later become chair of the board of the cooking school—Mrs. Roth set about achieving her vision.

On May 22, 1946, the New Haven Restaurant Institute opened its doors in downtown New Haven, CT as the first and only school of its kind in the United States. The Institute enrolled 16 students in its first class and employed a faculty consisting of a chef, a baker, and a dietitian.

As the foodservice industry grew, so did enrollment, necessitating a move in 1947 to larger quarters: a 40-room mansion adjacent to Yale University. The school’s name was changed to the Restaurant Institute of Connecticut and, in 1951, it became known as The Culinary Institute of America, reflecting its national scope and the diversity of its students. The college expanded its educational program to two years and introduced continuing education courses for industry professionals. By the time of Mrs. Roth’s retirement in 1965, the CIA had increased its enrollment to 400 students and operated a $2 million facility. Double-class sessions were initiated in 1969 to accommodate a backlog of applications, and an auxiliary campus was leased, but with more than 1,000 students and facilities strained to the maximum, the CIA’s admin­istrators launched a nationwide search for a new home. They found it in St. Andrew-on-Hudson, a former Jesuit novitiate in Hyde Park, NY. The new campus opened two years later, with its main building renamed Roth Hall.

In 1971, the Board of Regents of the State of New York granted the CIA a charter to confer the Associate in Occu­pational Studies (AOS) degree in culinary arts, making it the first culinary college to be so authorized. Other leading-edge associate and bachelor’s degree programs, majors, and concentrations were added over the years, cementing the CIA’s status as the world’s premier culinary college. In 2016, the CIA extended its offerings into post-baccalaureate education with its Wine and Beverage Graduate Certificate Program.

In 1995, the college expanded its global reach by opening its first branch cam­pus, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, located in the heart of California’s Napa Valley. The CIA’s expansion continued in 2008, when The Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio opened its doors in Texas. In 2010, the college opened its first international location, in Singapore. In partnership with the Singapore Institute of Technology, the CIA offers its bachelor’s degree program from its location on the Temasek Polytechnic campus.

In 2015, the CIA launched The Food Business School (FBS), its center for executive education. That same year, the college expanded its California campus operations to include Copia, the former center for food, wine, and the arts in downtown Napa. The CIA at Copia offers food and wine education programs, as well as industry leadership conferences and initiatives.

From its humble beginnings in a single building in New Haven, CT, today the CIA continues to influence the future of food through its commitment to advancing knowledge, leading our industry, and mak­ing a difference in the lives of people all over the world.

Career Opportunities

An education from The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) offers students unparal­leled career opportunity in an industry that generates an estimated $799 billion in annual sales in the United States. In 2017, 14.7 million people are projected to be employed in the foodservice business, mak­ing it the nation’s second-largest private-sector employer, according to the National Restaurant Association (NRA).

The CIA is represented around the world by more than 49,000 alumni who achieve success across a wide range of careers. They become executive chefs, personal chefs, restaurant and business owners, media personalities, restaurant and hotel chain executives, food writers, research chefs, food and beverage execu­tives, and culinary educators and work in all segments of the foodservice and hospi­tality industry.

Some graduates of the CIA associate degree programs in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts enter the industry as entry-level cooks, bakers, or pastry cooks for restaurants, hotels, country clubs, retail bakeries, and institutions; others choose jobs in dining room service, cater­ing, food research, or kitchen supervision. Still others choose to enroll in the college’s bachelor’s degree programs in food business management to expand their career pos­sibilities to include business management and staff management positions, as well as business ownership, communications, marketing, sales, and more. In addition, bachelor’s in culinary science graduates can pursue careers in research and develop­ment; work for large foodservice operations such as hospitals, schools, and military organizations; serve as field representa­tives; use science for creative impetus as a restaurant chef; and more. Graduates of the bachelor’s in applied food studies program are positioned to pursue opportunities in food media and communications, food education, food policy, innovative startups working in sustainable food practices, non-profit advocacy groups, and more. And graduates of the bachelor’s in culinary arts program can work in entry-level positions in a variety of industry segments, including catering management, university or corporate dining, research and development, food media, retirement community management, farm-to-table/agricultural product development, and public health and wellness. They may also become entrepreneurs, private chefs, maîtres d’hôtel, or grocery and retail chefs.

Graduates of the Accelerated Culinary Arts Certificate Program gain hands-on culinary skill and knowledge to comple­ment their bachelor’s degree in hospitality management, food science, nutrition, or a closely related field. The program prepares them for a multitude of opportunities such as cook, research assistant, restaurant assistant manager, and other entry-level positions.

Wine and Beverage Graduate Certificate Program graduates can pursue such positions as entry-level food and beverage manager, retail wine and beverage buyer, specialty tasting room associate, or wine steward in fine dining and multi-unit restaurants. With experience, a graduate can become a wine and beverage sales representative in wholesale distribution, work as a beverage director in fine dining, or take on other positions within the food, beverage, and winery segments.

CIA programs are not designed to lead to positions, occupations, trades, or career fields that require licensing in the state of California.

Accreditation/Approvals

The Culinary Institute of America—which includes campuses in Hyde Park, NY; St. Helena, CA; and San Antonio, TX; and an additional location in Sin­gapore—is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, 267-284-5000. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Official recognition of this CIA accreditation may be found under “Institutions” on the Mid­dle States website: www.msche.org.

The Culinary Institute of America holds an Absolute Charter issued by the New York State Board of Regents and is approved for veterans training under the G.I. Bill of Rights. The curricula are registered by the New York State Education Department. For more information, contact the New York State Education Department, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12234, 518-474-3852.

The Culinary Institute of America is a private postsecondary institution and has been granted approval to operate by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, 2535 Capitol Oaks Drive, Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95834; www.bppe.ca.gov; toll-free phone number: 1-888-370-7589). The definition of approval to operate is compliance with state standards as set forth in the California Private Postsecondary Act of 2009.

The CIA is approved and regulated by the Texas Workforce Commission, Career Schools and Colleges, 101 East 15 Street, Austin, TX 78778-001, 512-936-3100, http://csc.twc.state.tx.us.

For further information regarding accreditation and approval, or to review or obtain documents describing accreditation or approval, contact the director of accreditation at 845-451-1614.

Nondiscrimination Statement

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to the principle of equal opportunity in education and employment, in compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and other federal, state, and local laws.

The CIA does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, ancestry, national or ethnic origin, or any other protected group or classification under federal or state laws. These principles also apply to admissions, financial aid, academic matters, career services, counseling, housing, employment policies, scholarship programs, medical services, and all other programs and activities available at the CIA.

The Culinary Institute of America, pursuant to Title IX, Title VII, and state laws, also prohibits sexual harassment, which includes sexual assault and sexual violence.

The Senior Director of Faculty Relations is designated as the Title IX Coordinator and Age Discrimination Act Coordinator for the CIA and is responsible for coordinating compliance with the above applicable laws, statutes, and regulations as set forth in this statement. The Manager of Faculty Relations is designated as the Deputy Title IX Coordinator and supports the Title IX Coordinator and Age Discrimination Act Coordinator for the CIA. Inquiries to the CIA concerning the application of the Age Discrimination Act and Title IX, and their implementing regulations, may be referred to the Title IX and Age Discrimination Act Coordinator, or to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the U.S. Department of Education.

The Dean of Academic Engagement and Administration is designated as the Section 504 Coordinator for the CIA and is responsible for coordinating compliance under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Inquiries relating to Section 504 may be referred to the Section 504 Coordinator.

Additionally, complaints, including the procedure for filing a complaint regarding this Nondiscrimination Statement and the CIA’s compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and other federal, state, and local laws, may also be directed to the following Civil Rights Compliance Officers:

Not-for-Profit Statement

The Culinary Institute of America is an independent, not-for-profit educational organization [Section 501 (c) (3)] pursuing its mission of providing the highest quality culinary education. This not-for-profit sta­tus distinguishes the Institute from others because it enables us to focus on the quality of education rather than on satisfying the investment expectations of shareholders.

Governed by a board of trustees not compensated for its services, the Institute benefits from the guidance of its board members, who represent the hospitality field as well as the professional and educa­tional communities.

Required State of California Regulatory Disclosure

The Culinary Institute of America does not have a pending petition in bankruptcy, is not operating as a debtor in possession, has not filed a bankruptcy petition in the last five years, and has not had a petition in bankruptcy filed against it within the preceding five years that resulted in reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. bankruptcy code.

Professional and Physical Resources

CIA students benefit from the vast experi­ence of our award-winning international faculty of chefs, pastry chefs, bakers, wine and beverage experts, restaurant opera­tions instructors, business management teachers, and liberal arts instructors. These professionals have served in some of the best-known restaurants, hotels, resorts, and corporations in the United States and around the world and have worked exten­sively in their academic specialties.

Students also have at their disposal world-class facilities expressly designed for professional education in culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, culinary science, and wines and beverages. These include kitchens and bakeshops with equipment selected to replicate the professional food­service environment and student-staffed public restaurants that provide real-life, hands-on experience for students.

New York Campus

Roth Hall, the Colavita Center for Italian Food and Wine, the J. Willard Marriott Education Center, and the Student Commons house 42 professionally equipped kitchens and bakeshops, four student-staffed public restaurants, a demonstration theater, meat and fish fabrication rooms, a commercial storeroom, culinary science lab, sensory lab, the Julius Wile Baccalaureate Center, and athletic facili­ties. In addition, the General Foods Nutri­tion Center includes a computer classroom and laboratory, and a nutrition resources center. The Conrad N. Hilton Library is another campus highlight. In addition to the library itself, the 45,000-square-foot facility houses the Learning Strategies Center/Library Learning Commons, tele­vision and photography studios, a student computer lab, and a demonstration theater. The Marriott Pavilion features the 800-seat Ecolab Auditorium and a conference space that includes a state-of-the-art kitchen.

California Campus

The historic Greystone building is the hub of degree and certificate program education at the CIA’s California campus. Housing five teaching kitchens and three bakeshops in a 3,600-square-foot open-architecture format, the campus also boasts an outdoor area for live-fire cooking, demonstration theaters, and a student-staffed public restaurant. Aca­demic support resources include a library, a student computer lab, the Learning Strategies Center/Library Learning Commons, classrooms and lecture spaces, and student residence halls and lodging.

All class sessions will be held at facilities on the CIA at Greystone campus, 2555 Main Street, St. Helena, CA 94574.

Texas Campus

The CIA San Antonio is housed in a 30,000-square-foot building at the Pearl site near downtown. The facility combines the realism of the professional foodservice environment with an ideal educational setting focusing on student learning and outcomes. Five state-of-the-art teaching kitchens and a professional bakeshop are designed to provide modules and stations at which students can perform their lab exer­cises and be observed and coached on an individual basis. The Latin kitchen, unlike any other in the world, features both indoor and outdoor cooking facilities. Students also benefit from other educational facili­ties that include demonstration theaters, a student-staffed public restaurant, a com­puter lab, the Learning Strategies Center/Library Learning Commons, and a library.

CIA Singapore

Students at the CIA Singapore enjoy stellar state-of-the-art facilities on the Singapore Institute of Technology’s (SIT) campus at Temasek Polytechnic. The CIA Singapore includes teaching kitchens, the student-staffed Top Table Restaurant, and a library with more than 140,000 volumes of texts and e-resources covering subjects ranging from applied science to wine. Students also have access to sports facilities, student services, meeting rooms, and computer labs.

College Awards

CIA excellence is widely recognized in the industry and community, and the following is just a sampling of the most recent acco­lades the college has received:

Administration and Staff

The Power List: The 50 Most Powerful People in Foodservice, Nation’s Restaurant News President Tim Ryan ‘77, 2017, 2016, 2014

America’s 50 Most Powerful People in Food, The Daily Meal President Tim Ryan ‘77, 2017, 2016

College

Hospitality Institution of the Year, The World Gourmet Series Awards of Excellence CIA Singapore, 2017

IACP Cookbook Award, International Asso­ciation of Culinary Professionals The Young Chef: Recipes and Techniques for Kids Who Love to Cook, 2017; The Elements of Dessert, 2014; Baking and Pastry: Mastering the Art and Craft, 2nd edition, 2010

Gainful Employment Data (Certificate Programs)

In accordance with U.S. Department of Education reporting guidelines, information pertaining to potential occupations, job placement rates, program on-time completion rate, and other relevant employment data for the Accelerated Culinary Arts Certificate Program and the Wine and Beverage Graduate Certificate Program offered at the California campus may be found on the CIA website at www.ciachef.edu/bppe.

Location of Information

Most of the information pertaining to subjects important to CIA students is available on the Consumer Information page of our website at www.ciachef.edu/consumer-information; some is also available in the responsible office as noted below. The table that follows, in accordance with the federal Higher Education Act, is designed to help students locate information they may need.

* In addition to the crime statistics contained within the Annual Security, Fire Safety, and Statistics Report, all campus crime statistics are reported to the United States Department of Education (DOE), and can be found on the DOE website at http://ope.ed.gov/security. A hardcopy report of the statistics may be requested from the director of campus safety at the New York campus, and will be provided within 10 days of the request.

** The crime log and the fire log (for fires in on-campus student housing facilities) for the most recent 60-day period are open for public inspection during normal business hours.